Low Concentrations Of Ethylene Research Articles

Ethylene Elimination Using Activated Carbons Obtained from Baru (Dipteryx alata vog.) Waste and Impregnated with Copper Oxide.

Ethylene is a plant hormone regulator that stimulates chlorophyll loss and promotes softening and aging, resulting in a deterioration and reduction in the post-harvest life of fruit. Commercial activated carbons have been used as ethylene scavengers during the storage and transportation of a great variety of agricultural commodities. In this work, the effect of the incorporation of copper oxide over activated carbons obtained from baru waste was assessed. Samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), N2 adsorption-desorption at -196 °C, field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) coupled with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), and infrared (IR) spectroscopy. The results showed that the amount of ethylene removed using activated carbon obtained from baru waste and impregnated with copper oxide (1667 μg g-1) was significantly increased in comparison to the raw activated carbon (1111 μg g-1). In addition, carbon impregnated with copper oxide exhibited better adsorption performance at a low ethylene concentration. Activated carbons produced from baru waste are promising candidates to be used as adsorbents in the elimination of ethylene during the storage and transportation of agricultural commodities at a lower cost.

The Transcription Factor MiMYB8 Suppresses Peel Coloration in Postharvest 'Guifei' Mango in Response to High Concentration of Exogenous Ethylene by Negatively Modulating MiPAL1.

Anthocyanin accumulation is regulated by specific genes during fruit ripening. Currently, peel coloration of mango fruit in response to exogenous ethylene and the underlying molecular mechanism remain largely unknown. The role of MiMYB8 on suppressing peel coloration in postharvest 'Guifei' mango was investigated by physiology detection, RNA-seq, qRT-PCR, bioinformatics analysis, yeast one-hybrid, dual-luciferase reporter assay, and transient overexpression. Results showed that compared with the control, low concentration of exogenous ethylene (ETH, 500 mg·L-1) significantly promoted peel coloration of mango fruit (cv. Guifei). However, a higher concentration of ETH (1000 mg·L-1) suppressed color transformation, which is associated with higher chlorophyll content, lower a* value, anthocyanin content, and phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL) activity of mango fruit. M. indica myeloblastosis8 MiMYB8 and MiPAL1 were differentially expressed during storage. MiMYB8 was highly similar to those found in other plant species related to anthocyanin biosynthesis and was located in the nucleus. MiMYB8 suppressed the transcription of MiPAL1 by binding directly to its promoter. Transient overexpression of MiMYB8 in tobacco leaves and mango fruit inhibited anthocyanin accumulation by decreasing PAL activity and down-regulating the gene expression. Our observations suggest that MiMYB8 may act as repressor of anthocyanin synthesis by negatively modulating the MiPAL gene during ripening of mango fruit, which provides us with a theoretical basis for the scientific use of exogenous ethylene in practice.

The synthesis of propanol from ethylene over homogeneous Rh/amine catalytic system via auto-tandem reductive hydroformylation

Here we report our investigation on auto-tandem reductive hydroformylation of ethylene, which allows to obtain propanol in a single technological step. The effect of pressure, ligand structure, temperature, solvent type, ratio of components, and gas supply on the process was studied. It was found that ethylene could be successfully converted to propanol by reductive hydroformylation on a homogeneous Rh/NR3 catalytic system with productivity per Rh atom up to 1299 h−1 (9.0 MPa, 110 ℃). Under milder conditions, low ethylene concentrations and constant syngas supply should be applied. Noteworthy, by using atmospheric distillation as a separation procedure, the system can be used for multiple consecutive reactions without significant activity loss. Probable pathways for the formation of active species and the transformation of rhodium complexes during the distillation process are discussed.

Microwave catalytic conversion of acetylene for co-production of hydrogen and carbon nanotubes

Natural gas conversion to hydrogen and solid carbon can drastically reduce the carbon footprint. Microwave plasma pyrolysis is an emerging process for chemical industries to directly convert methane (CH4), the major component of natural gas, to hydrogen and carbon, which offers benefits such as fast process dynamics, flexibility, and high product yield. However, the formation of unwanted by-products, like acetylene (C2H2), will require extra cost for gas separation. Plasma pyrolysis of CH4 produces large amount of acetylene at downstream, which is currently used mainly for welding. To avoid gas separation and upgrade acetylene from the downstream of methane plasma reactor, a novel approach toward its transformation to carbon nanotubes (CNT) and pure hydrogen (H2) over Ni-based bimetallic catalyst driven by microwave irradiation has been reported in this work. The dominant gas product was hydrogen. Low concentrations of methane, ethane, and ethylene were observed in the product stream. Catalytic acetylene decomposition was carried out at 400 °C over Al2O3 supported Ni catalyst. The results showed that, at 400 °C, acetylene was dehydrogenated to CNT and hydrogen was the dominant gas in product stream over 10Ni-1Pd-Al2O3 catalyst. Characterizations of spent catalysts was conducted using Raman spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) to investigate the properties of carbon deposited over the catalyst during the catalytic acetylene decomposition. The results highlight that methane can be efficiently converted to hydrogen and CNT through 2-step process, microwave plasma and microwave catalytic conversion of intermediate acetylene, operated in a single reactor system driven by microwave.

Technoeconomic Evaluation of the Industrial Implementation of Catalytic Direct Nonoxidative Methane Coupling.

This paper presents a process design for catalytic nonoxidative natural gas conversion to olefins and aromatics, highlighting the opportunities and challenges concerning industrial implementation. The optimal reactor conditions are 5 bar and 1000 °C. Heat exchange over the reactor is challenging due to the high temperature and low gas pressure. Recovery of ethylene is economically unattractive due to the low ethylene concentration in the product stream, leading to a methane-to-aromatics process, recycling ethylene. Benzene is the most valuable product at an efficiency of 0.31 kgbenzene/kgmethane with hydrogen as a major valuable byproduct. Naphthalene, with a low value, is unfortunately the dominant product, at 0.52 kgnaphthalene/kgmethane. It is suggested to hydrocrack the naphthalene to more valuable BTX products in an additional downstream process. The process is calculated to result in a 107 $ profit per ton CH4.

Influence of Different Calcium Compounds and Fruit Development Stages on Yield, Fruit Quality and Shelf Life of ‘Granny Smith’ Apples

Calcium (Ca) plays major roles on the storage life and quality apples. In this study, the influence of calcium chloride (CaCl2) and two organic calcium compounds including Calcicat and Folical at four different times of application on the quality and shelf life of ‘Granny Smith’ apples during two growing seasons. Quantitative and qualitative attributes were evaluated at harvest and after three- and six-months cold storage. In the first year, Folical all-season and mid-season sprays resulted in a significant increase in Ca concentration. In the second year, early-season spray resulted in significant Ca increase compared to control. In the first year, the early-season spray program of Folical had the highest yield and fruit weight. The use of calcium compounds in all timing programs reduced fruits soluble solids concentration (SSC) at harvest compared to control treatments. In both years, at harvest, no significant difference was observed among treatments regarding the ‘Granny smith’ apple firmness. In the first year, the chlorophyll content of ‘Granny Smith’ apple peels were affected by spray timing and the type of calcium compound. In both years, Fruits treated with Ca had lower ethylene concentration and brightness index (L*) than controls. In the second year, Folical spray decreased the percentage of superficial scald incidence for three months storage. During the first year, all-season Calcicat spray and in the second year early-season Folical spray showed the lowest percentage of scald disorder after six months storage. In the first year, the all-season spray program and in the second year Folical spray decreased the severity of scald after three months of storage.

Plasma Chemical Method of Decreasing the Ethylene Impurities in the Air

The efficiency of ethylene impurities decomposition in barrierless plasma-chemical system during artificial injection into the air of a sea container has been studied. The experimental study was performed at the air temperature 5oC in container volume 65 m3. The initial level of ozone in the air was 100 ppb. This concentration is below concentration which audible to humans. It has been established that the use of a carbon filter after a plasma chemical system allows to maintain the ozone content in the air at an acceptable level (in terms of human health and food storage). During 24 hours the ethylene concentration increases until an equilibrium concentration is reached. After the plasma chemical rector was switched on, the ethylene concentration in the container began to decrease due to decomposition in the low-temperature plasma and interaction with ozone until new equilibrium concentration was reached. The ozone concentration after plasma chemical reactor was switched to begin increased. After 1 hour, the new minimum equilibrium ethylene and ozone concentration was established. The decrease in concentration occurred exponentially and reached a new equilibrium concentration above zero, which is consistent with the theory. The increase in ozone concentration occurs by about 20-25%. It has been shown that using plasma chemical system based on barrierless plasma chemical reactors can reduce the ethylene concentration by up to 10 times, even for low concentrations of ethylene in the air.

Highly sensitive ethylene sensors using Pd nanoparticles and rGO modified flower-like hierarchical porous α-Fe2O3

To develop a feasible approach to detect ethylene in low concentration is of great significance to reduce losses of farm products during storage and logistics. However, it is really difficult to detect it due to the lack of polar chemical functionality of ethylene and its small size. While appropriate Pd nanoparticles (NPs) and reduced graphene oxide (rGO) modified flower-like hierarchical porous α-Fe2O3 was designed and successfully synthesized in this article, which can detect ethylene with high sensitivity and low temperature. Experiment results reveal that Pd/rGO/α-Fe2O3 can detect ehylene in the concentration as low as 10 ppb, which is the best one among all the ethylene gas sensors and has made a major breakthrough in the detection limit of ethylene. Besides, other sensing performance, including operation temperature (250 °C), the response-recovery time (18 s and 50 s), and examination range (from 10 ppb to 1000 ppm) all have been significantly improved. The high specific surface area of flower-like hierarchical porous structure, the catalysis of Pd nanoparticles, and chemically active defect sites of rGO all contribute to the high sensing performances of Pd/rGO/α-Fe2O3 in detecting ethylene. These do provide a practical method for detecting low concentrations of ethylene and make it more competitive to detect ethylene with low cost and convenient gas sensors.

Different expression of kiwifruit ethylene-related genes during low storage temperatures

Autocatalytic ethylene production is the start of a transcription cascade that regulates many important features of fruit quality, including flavoring and softening. Kiwifruit (Actinidia deliciosa) is a climacteric fruit, sensitive to low concentrations of ethylene. In current study, the ethylene biosynthesis at low temperatures (− 0.8, − 0.5 and 0 °C) in A. deliciosa has been investigated. The gene expression of transcription factors (AdERF1 and AdETR1) and the enzymes related to ethylene biosynthesis (AdACO1, AdACO2 and AdACS) have been examined using RT-qPCR. According to the results, for all of the examined genes, the highest expression level was observed at − 0.8 and − 0.5 °C, while the lowest expression level was at 0 °C during storage. However, kiwifruit is usually stored at temperatures below 0 °C. Also, the expression of ACC (1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid) oxidase genes (AdACO1 and AdACO2) was higher than that of the other genes, because a low storage temperature is responsible for the activation of the ACC synthase transcript at first and later the ACC oxidase (ACO) transcript. Thus, ACO gene induction appears to be the second signal of chilling stress. The induction of ACO transcripts by chilling preceded the appearance of chilling symptoms. According to the current results, the temperature of 0 °C is the best temperature for storing kiwifruit for a long time.

Exposure to low ethylene concentrations in supply chain conditions cause differential quality attributes in ‘SunGold™’ kiwifruit

Exposure to low ethylene concentrations in supply chain conditions cause differential quality attributes in ‘SunGold™’ kiwifruit

Pressure characteristics during vented explosion of ethylene-air mixtures in a square vessel

The vented explosion in a 2 m × 1.1 m × 0.5 m stainless cylindrical vessel with the ethylene-air mixture is investigated as the function of the ethylene concentration, vent area and vent burst pressure. The internal pressure histories measured by two piezoelectric transducers with the vented door of different thickness are used to analyze the effect of vent burst pressure on the whole explosion. It is shown that the peak overpressures are the highest just at the ethylene concentration is 8 vol%. The internal overpressure is grown with the concentration and in turn decreases after internal pressure reached the peak. As the vent burst pressure increases, the same trend that internal peak overpressure is increasing accordingly is found. The dominant peak overpressure will be change with different vent areas. Not only that, it is apparent that venting is more effective on the account of the low ethylene concentrations. The high-speed images demonstrate that the flame is strongly distorted and the unburned mixture is ignited by the external flame. The comparison between experimental results and calculation values has been discussed in consideration of the influences of vent area and vent burst pressure. The predicted overpressures of different theoretical models are relatively conservative than measured peak overpressures.

Calidad de melón cantaloupe (Cucumis melo) cubierto con una película comestible de alginato-hpmc-parafina

El melón es un fruto que tiene un corto periodo de almacenamiento. Una alternativa para extender este periodo es el uso de películas comestibles. En el presente estudio se evaluó el efecto de la aplicación de una película comestible de alginato de sodio-hidroxipropilmetilcelulosa-parafina (ALG-HPMC-PAR), sobre la calidad de melón Cantaloupe durante dos tipos de almacenamiento.Método: Frutos de melón Cantaloupe se cubrieron con una película comestible de alginato-hidroxipropilmetil celulosa-parafina (ALG-HPMC-PAR), y no cubiertos (CONTROL). Los melones se almacenaron por 21 días a 5ºC y 95% de humedad relativa (Hr). Cada siete días, los frutos se sometieron a análisis de índice de daños por frío, pérdida de peso, textura, y concentración de CO2 y etileno de la atmósfera interna del fruto. Además, para simular manejo comercial, al término de cada periodo de siete días en refrigeración, una muestra de melones era extraída del frigorífico y expuesta a condiciones ambientales de temperatura y humedad relativa (25ºC y 21-25% respectivamente) durante tres días (almacenamiento combinado), y medidos los parámetros anteriormente mencionados.Resultados: La aplicación de la película comestible provocó que los frutos cubiertos tuvieran una mayor concentración de CO2 y menor concentración de etileno en la atmósfera interna del fruto, contribuyendo a que los melones cubiertos mantuvieron su calidad por un mayor tiempo de almacenamiento, manteniéndose más firmes, con menor pérdida de peso y sufrir menor índice de daños por frío con respecto los frutos control.Discusión: Los resultados demuestran la factibilidad de la aplicación de películas comestibles para mantener la calidad del melón Cantaloupe almacenado en refrigeración y en almacenamiento combinado.

Rheological characterization of polypropylene/poly(ethylene-co-propylene) in-reactor blends synthesized under different polymerization conditions

In-reactor blends of polypropylene/poly(ethylene-co-propylene) with complex microstructure, synthesized through different polymerization procedures; two-step (one homopolymerization and one copolymerization under high ethylene concentration) and three-step (with an additional copolymerization step under low ethylene concentration), were characterized by rheological measurements. The effects of a change in the polymerization process on the types and amounts of block copolymers in the blends were evaluated using small amplitude oscillation rheometry in the linear viscoelastic region. The Palierne model in its complete form was employed to model the rheological behavior of the blends. For this analysis the reactor products were separated into xylene cold insoluble (XCI) and xylene cold soluble fractions. Besides, another two copolymer fractions at 80 and 100 °C, which are crystallizable copolymer fractions and contain block copolymers rich in polyethylene and polypropylene, respectively, were separated from XCI fraction by xylene using temperature gradient elution fractionation method. Considering all copolymer fractions as dispersed and the remained fraction (mostly polypropylene) as matrix phase, it was shown that the rheological properties of the blends could not be predicted by Palierne model. It was found that only by considering part of block copolymer fractions having long polypropylene sequences along with polypropylene homopolymer as one phase, the rheological properties of the blends could be predicted by Palierne model. By rheological modeling, it was confirmed that the amounts of copolymers with long polypropylene sequences which are miscible with the matrix are higher in the case of three-step blends and also the elasticity of three-step polymerized blends is higher than two-step polymerized blends.

A new approach to increase toughness of synthesized PP/EPR in-reactor blends by introducing a copolymerization step under low ethylene concentration

Complex microstructure of the polypropylene/ poly(ethylene-co-propylene) in-reactor blends has been the subject of many studies. In this work simple two-step polymerization procedure was considered and effects of adding another copolymerization step with low ethylene concentration were investigated. The blends microstructure and morphology as well as mechanical properties were studied. The blends were characterized using dynamic mechanical thermal analysis (DMTA), gel permeation chromatography (GPC), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and temperature gradient elution fractionation (TGEF). It was found that adding an extra copolymerization step under low ethylene concentration caused considerable increase in the blends toughness, elongation at break and the number of very small dispersed particles in the polypropylene matrix. The mentioned polymerization step produced copolymers having long polypropylene sequences capable to take part in crystallization of polypropylene matrix, suggested acting as linkage between rubber and polypropylene phases. Although the amorphous copolymer related to the additional copolymerization step had a role in decreasing the average size of dispersed phase, the difference in crystallizable copolymer microstructure suggested had a key role in marked enhancement of mechanical properties.

Ethylene synthesis, ripening capacity, and superficial scald inhibition in 1-MCP treated ‘d’Anjou’ pears are affected by storage temperature

A continuing challenge for commercializing 1-methylcyclopropene (1-MCP) to extend the storage life and control superficial scald of ‘d’Anjou’ pear (Pyrus communis L.) is how to initiate ripening in 1-MCP treated fruit. ‘D’Anjou’ pears harvested at commercial and late maturity were treated with 1-MCP at 0.15μLL−1 and stored either at the commercial storage temperature −1.1°C (1-MCP@−1.1°C), or at 1.1°C (1-MCP@1.1°C) or 2.2°C (1-MCP@2.2°C) for 8 months. Control fruit stored at −1.1°C ripened and developed significant scald within 7 d at 20°C following 3–5 months of storage. While 1-MCP@−1.1°C fruit did not develop ripening capacity due to extremely low internal ethylene concentration (IEC) and ethylene production rate for 8 months, 1-MCP@1.1°C fruit produced significant amounts of IEC during storage and developed ripening capacity with relatively low levels of scald within 7 d at 20°C following 6–8 months of storage. 1-MCP@2.2°C fruit lost quality quickly during storage. Compared to the control, the expression of ethylene synthesis (PcACS1, PcACO1) and signal (PcETR1, PcETR2) genes was stable at extremely low levels in 1-MCP@−1.1°C fruit. In contrast, they increased expression after 4 or 5 months of storage in 1-MCP@1.1°C fruit. Other genes (PcCTR1, PcACS2, PcACS4 and PcACS5) remained at very low expression regardless of fruit capacity to ripen. A storage temperature of 1.1°C can facilitate initiation of ripening capacity in 1-MCP treated ‘d’Anjou’ pears with relatively low scald incidence following 6–8 months storage through recovering the expression of certain ethylene synthesis and signal genes.

Ethylene as a Postharvest “Evil” and its Remedies in some Horticultural Crops

Postharvest is an agricultural operation starting from the time of harvesting till the commodity reaches to the ultimate user/consumer. The postharvest life of horticultural produces is different from other produces in having shortest shelf life. In some horticultural crops which we call climacteric, there is an increase rate of respiration mainly due to a very high synthesis of the ripening hormone (ethylene), which has both beneficial and detrimental (“evil”) effects depending on the type of commodity. The effect of ethylene is accumulative so continuous exposure to a low concentration of ethylene throughout marketing can cause significant harm. In climacteric fruits exogenous C2H4 caused the peel and flesh to ripen out of phase, with the flesh ripening faster than the peel. In a study of cut flowers, exposure to ethylene at 100 μl l-1 reduced vase life by about 30%. In order to minimize this evil effect different vase solutions have been investigated. STS (silver thiosulfate) and 1-MCP (1-methylcyclopropene) can effectively protect flowers against exogenous ethylene. Pre-treatment of plants with 1 μl l-1 1- MCP for 2 h completely inhibited ethylene-induced petal abscission. Applications of Silver thiosulphate (STS) and 1-MCP have a great role to withstand the impact of ethylene. Thus they give relief for those concerned with horticultural crops which are sensitive to ethylene action. However more researches have to be done about the level and time of application of these chemicals and a new chemical against ethylene should be investigated.

Exertion in Kangoo Jumps Aerobic: Evaluation and Interpretation Using Spectroscopic Technique Determinations

Laser photoacoustic spectroscopy (LPAS) is growing quickly in its applications to real world problems—one of the problems is to prevent obesity—being a candidate technology for breath analysis applications. The ongoing paper is aiming to investigate the evaluation of oxidative stress in womens practicing Kangoo Jumps (KJ) aerobics. Because it is not possible to directly measure free radicals in the body, we approach that by measuring the by-products (breath ethylene) that result from free radical reactions. We found out that the mixture of exhaled breath in women's after the KJ exercises contains low concentration of ethylene compared to the exhaled breath of the women before the start of exercise program. This result can add valuable information to the contribution to reduce the generation of prooxidants during and after KJ aerobics.

Aplicação de 1-metilciclopropeno e absorção de etileno em maçã da cultivar 'Royal Gala' colhida tardiamente

O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar a perda da eficiência do controle do etileno com o uso de 1-MCP e da sua absorção ao longo do período de oito meses de armazenamento em atmosfera controlada (AC) de maçãs da cultivar 'Royal Gala' colhidas em estádio de maturação avançado. Os frutos foram colhidos com firmeza da polpa de 89,5N; índice de iodo-amido de 6,7; acidez de 5,06meq 100mL-1; teor de sólidos solúveis de 11,8°Brix; produção de etileno de 0,721µL C2H4 kg-1 h-1; e respiração de 6,61mL CO2 kg-1 h-1. O delineamento experimental utilizado foi o inteiramente casualizado, com quatro tratamentos e seis repetições. Os frutos foram armazenados na temperatura de 0,5°C (±0,1), sendo avaliadas as seguintes condições: [1] AC com 1,2kPa O2 + 2,5kPa CO2; [2] AC com aplicação de 1µL L-1 de 1-MCP; [3] AC com aplicação de 1µL L-1 de 1-MCP e de 10µL L-1 de etileno (AE); e [4] AC com baixa concentração de etileno (<0,1µL L-1) (BE). O 1-MCP não apresentou eficiência na conservacão da firmeza da polpa em maçãs colhidas em estádio de maturação avançado, mas manteve eficiência na redução da atividade da enzima ACC oxidase, produção de etileno e atividade respiratória dos frutos.

Effect of temperature and exogenous ethylene on the physiological and quality traits of purslane ( Portulaca oleracea L.) leaves during storage

The effect of storage conditions on shelf life of purslane leaves ( Portulaca oleracea L.) was investigated. In a first trial, fresh leaves were harvested and stored under different temperatures (0, 5, and 10 °C) for 17 days. Storage temperature significantly affected color, visual quality, respiration rate, ethylene production, weight loss, vitamin C content, antioxidant activity, total phenolic and total and soluble oxalic acid contents. Leaves stored at 10 °C did not withstand the entire storage period, being judged not marketable after 8 days, while leaves stored at 0 and 5 °C were still marketable after 13 and 10 days, respectively. Samples stored at 10 °C showed a lower hue angle value and a higher chlorophyll loss compared to other samples, while no symptom of chilling injury was observed in leaves stored at 0 and 5 °C. Respiration rate significantly increased with increasing storage temperature; ethylene production was also affected by storage temperature, although values were very low (<1 nL C 2H 4/kg/h at 10 °C). Vitamin C was more sensitive to postharvest deterioration during storage and a marked reduction was observed in samples stored at 10 °C. In addition, purslane was found to be high in antioxidants (192 mg TEAC/100 g fw, at harvest) and total phenols (471 mg GAE/100 g fw) and the decline observed during storage was influenced by temperature. A second trial was performed in order to evaluate the effect of exogenous ethylene on leaves during storage at two temperatures. Fresh leaves were harvested and exposed to air (as control), and to 0.1, 1, and 10 μL/L of ethylene for 15 days at 0 and 15 °C. Exposure to C 2H 4 affected respiration rate, color and overall appearance but only at 15 °C and for high ethylene concentrations (1 and 10 μL/L). Leaves did not withstand the entire storage period and marketable life was about 7 days at 15 °C, except for leaves exposed to 10 μL/L of C 2H 4, while for all samples held at 0 °C marketable life exceeded 10 days. Loss of marketability was due to yellowing and discoloration. It is concluded that purslane is not chilling sensitive, can be stored successfully at low temperatures, produces very small amounts of ethylene and is not sensitive to a low concentration of ethylene, especially when exposure occurs at low temperature.

Kiwifruit EIL and ERF Genes Involved in Regulating Fruit Ripening

Kiwifruit (Actinidia deliciosa) is a climacteric fruit sensitive to low concentrations of ethylene. To investigate the transcriptional mechanisms underlying kiwifruit ethylene response, transcription factors encoding four EIN3-Like (EILs) and 14 Ethylene Response Factors (ERFs) were cloned from kiwifruit. Expression of these transcription factors was examined during fruit development. The expression of transcripts of most AdERFs was higher during early fruit development, with the exception of AdERF3, which increased with maturity. Several AdERFs were apparently down-regulated by ethylene, as they were affected by the ethylene inhibitor 1-methylcyclopropene and by antisense suppression of ACO (for 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid oxidase) in the fruit. In contrast, AdEILs were constitutively expressed during fruit development and ripening. The transcription factors AdEIL2 and AdEIL3 activated transcription of the ripening-related genes AdACO1 and AdXET5 (xyloglucan endotransglycosylase gene) and, when overexpressed in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana), stimulated ethylene production. The potential repressor AdERF9 suppressed this promoter activity. These results support a role for kiwifruit EILs and ERFs in transcriptional regulation of ripening-related genes and in the regulation of kiwifruit fruit-ripening processes.